Chapter 7: Freinir’s Past – 02
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what kind of relationship do you have with Freinir, Sir Soushi? If possible, I would like to hear about how you two came to know each other.”
The viscount began, seated in what appeared to be an office.
“Understood. I came to this town of Euron and…”
There was no reason to hide anything, so I spoke honestly. When I recounted our first meeting, the viscount seemed to empathize slightly, murmuring, “How unfortunate…”
“I see. In that case, it’s understandable that Freinir would be so attached to you, Sir Soushi. So, what are your intentions regarding her?”
“I plan to continue adventuring together as part of our party. She possesses exceptional abilities as a member, and I believe she will become a remarkable adventurer in the future.”
“Well, that’s true, but… you understand what I’m getting at, given your age, right?”
“Ah, is that what you meant? Given our age difference, it’s unlikely we would develop a romantic relationship. However, it is true that she has a dependency on me, and I understand her behavior stems from that.”
With that, the viscount scratched his head. It was an uncharacteristic gesture for a noble, but perhaps it was a remnant of his days as an adventurer.
“My intuition tells me that you seem trustworthy, Sir Soushi. If I said that without any basis, Anatoria would probably scold me.”
I was taken aback by the viscount’s sudden casual tone. Was this his true self?
“Furthermore, if you were to tell Freinir to distance herself from you, she might fall ill. That’s likely a skill, you know? Have you noticed?”
“Huh? No, I wasn’t aware…”
“There are certain skills that manifest only in extremely specific situations. One of them is called ‘Dependency.’ To put it simply, it’s a bizarre skill that enhances one’s abilities by depending on a specific person.”
“Is there really such a thing?”
“Apparently so. It’s as rare as ‘Divine Attribute’ skills. Otherwise, an E-Rank adventurer wouldn’t be able to use magic effective against B-Rank monsters.”
“That’s true. So, does that mean her dependency is heightened because of that skill?”
“There’s a possibility. But whether the skill came first or the actual feelings did is something no one can determine.”
“I see… In that case, it would be even more prudent to continue acting together for a while. I believe it would be best to strengthen her skills as much as possible while she’s in this enhanced state, and once she’s capable of adventuring on her own, we can let her decide what to do.”
“True enough. I could pair her with Anatoria to help her grow stronger, but I can’t keep her with me. But, Sir Soushi, after hearing all this, will you still team up with Freinir?”
“About that, could you share what you can regarding her situation? It would help us determine how to proceed.”
With a sigh, the viscount exhaled, scratching his head again.
“Right. I’ll tell you what I can.”
He explained the following:
First, Freinir is the daughter of a certain noble family.
Second, Freinir was a candidate for the saintess of the Arshuram Church.
Third, she was caught up in a power struggle between her noble family and the church and was exiled under the pretense of her ‘Awakening.’
“The last point is my speculation, but it’s almost certainly accurate.”
“However, did Freinir’s parents overlook that?”
“There are various circumstances surrounding that… Freinir’s mother passed away a few years ago. Naturally, her father has taken multiple wives, so…”
I see. While it’s understandable that nobles might practice polygamy, it seems likely that someone wanting their own bloodline as the heir was scheming behind the scenes. Normally, one would think that Freinir, being a girl, wouldn’t be considered an heir, but her status as a saintess candidate probably plays a role in that.
But Freinir as a saintess… She certainly looks the part, but life is unpredictable. That’s something I can relate to.
“In truth, ‘Divine Attribute Magic’ holds significant meaning for the Arshuram Church. If it were to be discovered, Freinir could be reinstated as a candidate for the saintess. If that were to happen, those who exiled her would not remain silent.”
“I see… I understand Freinir’s situation now. However, I would need to know which noble family she belongs to; otherwise, we might inadvertently enter their territory without realizing it.”
“What’s this? Planning to explore various dungeons?”
“Yes, I aim to become as strong as possible as an adventurer.”
“Hmm, it’s rare to hear someone speak so plainly these days.”
After taking a breath, the viscount scratched his head again before continuing.
“It’s the House of Duke Armand. Freinir carries royal blood.”
After receiving some special rewards, we were transported by carriage from the viscount’s residence to the guild.
When we disembarked, we attracted a bit of attention, but that was to be expected.
After all, I had defeated the boss, the Headless Swordier, and it wasn’t too strange for the viscount to summon me.
“Sir Soushi, I’m counting on you,” Anatoria said as we parted ways, her gaze sharp enough to imply, “If you do anything, I’ll cut you in half.” Well, I had no intention of doing anything, so it wasn’t a problem.
“Ahh, that was nerve-wracking. I never imagined I’d be invited to a noble’s home as an adventurer,” Larni said, glancing at Freinir, who had lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, it’s because of me…”
“Eh!? I actually think it’s lucky! After all, it’s a place we’d never normally get to visit!”
“Is that so…?”
“Absolutely! But Freinir, you’re a noble—guh!?”
I quickly covered Larni’s mouth as she almost let slip something inappropriate in the middle of the street. My Reflexes skill really came in handy.
“Let’s not say that. We’ll return to the inn and discuss our plans moving forward.”
Larni nodded vigorously, so I released her. I noticed Freinir looking a bit envious, but I chose to ignore it.
Once we returned to the inn, I called the two of them into my room.
After discussing everything (though I kept the details about Freinir to myself), Larni crossed her arms and nodded.
“Hmmm, so we just need to ensure that no one finds out Freinir can use ‘Divine Attribute Magic,’ right?”
“Exactly. Ideally, it would be best if no one knew she was Freinir either…”
“Adventurer Cards can’t contain false information, so that can’t be helped, can it?”
As Larni pointed out, due to some mysterious technology, it seems that using aliases on Adventurer Cards is impossible. Therefore, it would be impossible to keep the guild staff from knowing her name, “Freinir.” The only saving grace was that the surname “Armand” seemed to have disappeared due to her exile.
“Right. If we can do anything, it might be to change how we address her?”
“Hmm, in urgent situations, something shorter would be better. How about calling her Frei?”
When Larni suggested this, Freinir nodded.
“Yes, please call me that.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Thus, while it was a loose arrangement, we decided on how to handle Freinir’s identity. The most crucial thing was to avoid areas closely tied to the House of Duke Armand, but fundamentally, as long as her ability to use ‘Divine Attribute Magic’ remained unknown, we should be fine.
If those who resent her existence truly wanted her gone, they would have eliminated her from the start instead of exiling her.
“So, Soushi, what’s our plan from here?”
“Of course, now that I’ve reached D-Rank, I intend to enter a D-Class dungeon. I know there are two in Euron and one in the neighboring town of Tolson, so we’ll start there.”
As I answered Larni, I recalled the recent large-scale subjugation mission.
At the viscount’s residence, I hadn’t been able to gather information about the person who likely set up that Summoning Stone.
However, if humans were involved in the emergence of undead monsters, there must be some ulterior motive behind it. Given the scale of the undead’s stronghold, it could involve an organizational conspiracy or even a political one. It was unlikely that such matters would directly involve a mere adventurer party, but if it came to a fight, we would likely be drawn into it. I realized that I needed to strengthen my power even more than before.